7 Tips to Increase Morning Motivation

February 25, 2020

A Woman’s Guide to Starting The Day

Whether you are launching into Monday, waking up to hump day or preparing for a weekend’s adventure, getting motivated at the crack of dawn is difficult. The window of time that you have to dedicate towards setting yourself up for a successful day each morning is pretty small, but there are some key things you can do to lean the odds in your favor. With a little effort and a dash of strategy, we have a couple of tricks that will help you summon your morning motivation shortly after your alarm goes off.

The following are 7 of the best ways to start your day so you can get out the door and live you best life:

7 Morning Motivation Tips

1. From Silence to Sweet Sounds

The sound of the alarm is a grating way to start your day. If you use an alarm clock, consider switching to one that comes with alternatives to the conventional grating buzz. Home Labs Sunrize alarm offers deep sleepers the option of rising to the sounds of nature or a led light simulated sunrise. Doesn’t that sound blissful?

If you use an app to get you out of bed for work, change the sound to a soft chime or something gentle and soothing that starts out quiet and slowly elevates the volume. There’s no reason to jar yourself awake.

2. Meditate Awake

There are many reasons why motivating to do something you love feels hard. Perhaps you struggle with insomnia or anxiety. Packing and preparing for any activity or adventure—even when you are excited about them—is a lot of work and can even feel overwhelming at times. The good news is that studies show that meditation decreases anxiety, helps you sleep better and is one of the best ways to start your day.

After your alarm gently urges you awake, your next move is to find a simple seated position—eyes still closed— and breath. Make sure you move from the bed to the floor first, so you don’t fall back to sleep. We suggest using a meditation pillow like the one pictured above to help you maintain proper posture for alertness while remaining cushioned and comfortable.

Spend just five minutes focusing on your breath. Once you’ve done that, take a couple of minutes to envision your day and how you would like it to go. See it going perfectly.

Open your eyes.

3. Drink in the Morning

Follow your morning meditation with a giant glass of water while waiting for your coffee to brew. Your body dehydrates overnight and getting that glass of water in is the perfect way to rehydrate quickly. Dehydration causes lethargy and encourages those groggy thoughts that tell you to put off starting your day and kill your morning motivation. A cold drink of water makes you feel more alert and helps flush toxins out of your body.

Consider carrying a water bottle with you throughout the day. Hydration fights off lethargy and will help keep you sharp! We love the Hydroflask, especially for those rugged outdoor adventurers. Its durable and keeps cold drinks cold and warm drinks warm for an extended period of time. Keep it by your bed at night for a long, cold drink first thing in the morning.

4. Breath with Yoga

You don’t have to spend an hour on the mat to get a good yoga session in. Starting your day with just a couple gentle stretches gets your body ready to move and do amazing things. Yoga poses that elongate muscles and loosens tight spots also decrease your chance of injury later in the day when you are on mile six of your full-day hike.

5. Replace Coffee with Tea

We aren’t suggesting that you give up your daily cup of coffee, we are just saying that there are benefits to drinking tea instead or as well. Specifically green tea. According to Healthline, Green tea not only wakes you up, it has the amino acid L-theanine which has anti-anxiety effects and improves brain function. This means your performance throughout the day is likely to improve. Another boon of drinking green tea is that it has been shown to increase fat burn and physical performance!

6. Call it an Early Night

If you have insomnia or friends who like to hit the clubs on the weekend, this is a hard one. Studies show that going to bed late and getting up early can actually cause you to have negative thoughts. Instead of seeing the benefits of fulfilling your weekend plans, you are more likely to find reasons that make getting out of the door more of a problem than a benefit. Commit to an early bedtime when you have plans the next day. Meet your girlfriends for dinner, and then leave them to the dance floor while you catch some Zs.

7. Get a Full Night of Sleep

Getting adequate sleep is important for a whole lot of reasons. Lack of sleep can affect your physical, social and emotional health. Some of the most common side effects that arise from sleep deprivation include increased chance of diabetes, high blood pressure, weekend immunity, weight gain, memory issues, lowered sex drive and loss of balance. In general, not getting enough sleep severely decreases your quality of life.

Making sure you get between 7-9 hours of sleep a night, ensures easier mornings and an overall improved quality of life.

Finding the best way to start your day is a matter of trial and error. You don’t have to take on all of the methods listed above at once. Start with one or two and do them until they become habit. Then add another. Finding your perfect recipe for morning motivation is a game changer in the women’s travel and adventure world. It can mean the difference between dreaming about or actually accomplishing those things you want to do.

(images via pexles)

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Annette is a writer, editor and photographer from Portland, OR. Her work appears in a variety of publications including Bust, Red Tricycle, Motherly and Domino. When she’s away from her desk she can be found teaching women yoga at wilderness retreats, exploring new cities across the states and hiking the trails at Mt. Rainier—one of her favorite places on earth.